1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic storage device technology, which has been broadly applied to several hardware, e.g., personal computers and workstations, in information technologies field. In detail, the present invention relates especially to a thermal-assisted (or light-assisted) magnetic storage device technology to realize gigantic memory capacity without enlarging its current physical size.
Nowadays, acceleration of the information technologies demands higher memory capacity and smaller physical size for magnetic storage device, and there is a demand for a reliable data reading technology for realizing accurate reading of data without errors even from tiny field on very high density storage media surface. According to such technical background, a thermal-assisted magnetic storage device has been introduced, and it is to improve magnetic storage media""s coercive force through a thermal assist data writing accompanied by focused light beam. Namely, when writing data on the magnetic storage media, the magnetic storage media surface to be written a datum is thermally annealed and thereby the coercive force of the data-writing portion on the magnetic storage media surface becomes lower compared with prior to the thermal annealing. The present invention relates to an improvement for realizing accurate alignment between the magnetic write head and a light-beam pickup in the thermal-assisted magnetic storage device, in which the magnetic write head and the light-beam pickup are disposed at both sides of one magnetic storage disc medium.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
As exemplified in FIG. 1, the thermal-assisted magnetic storage device employs a magnetic storage disc as magnetic storage media and a magnetic head to which the surface of the magnetic storage disc is adjacent, and thereby a magnetic sensor formed on the magnetic head is capable of reading storage data as magnetic information on the surface of the magnetic storage disc. And further, the light-beam is led to the magnetic head through fine glass fiber along with holding spring for holding the magnetic head, and thereby the light-beam can arrive at the magnetic disc substrate surface. Through such structure as in the above, tiny spot on the magnetic disc surface can be partially heated by being exposed to the light-beam. Such thermal-assisted magnetic storage device has been proposed.
However, such technique as in the above can be hardly applied to the high-density magnetic recording storage device although it might be applied to conventional level low-density magnetic storage device. That is to say, in conventional technology situation, no serious problem could be raised, because width of one magnetic recorded data occupied field, i.e., so-called xe2x80x98Tracking-pitchxe2x80x99, is much larger compared with a distance between the magnetic sensor and the light-beam spot although the end portion of the glass fiber is disposed to the magnetic head. On the other hand, in much higher density magnetic storage device technology, as the tracking-pitch becomes to be smaller than the distance between the magnetic sensor and the light-beam spot, the magnetic recording disc surface itself can be hardly heated by exposing the light beam. As a result of this problem, the thermal-assistance function of the thermal-assisted magnetic storage device will not be able to fully obtain the desired effect. Thus, in case that the thermal-assistance function is applied to such higher density magnetic storage device, the thermal-assistance function might make no sense.
In such circumstances, another technology is demanded. The magnetic recording disc itself is comprised from transparent material, and light-beam spot is emitted from different side of such transparent magnetic recording disc from the side of the magnetic head. However, because the slider surface of the magnetic head is highly integrated and very small as the same level as cutting edge semiconductor device, light-beam spot can be difficult to align to such very small magnetic sensor.
As stated in the above, because such high-density recording technology is demanded, the light-beam spot itself also required to be downsized to tiny size, such as in the sub-micron order. And further, the magnetic sensor, which is disposed on the slider surface of the magnetic head is also required to be similarly downsized. If the magnetic sensor and the light-beam spot are not aligned even a bit with each other during a data reading operation, recorded data is undesirably rewritten and therefore recording data error inevitably occurs. Therefore, the alignment technologies which can realize quick and accurate alignment between the magnetic sensor and the light-beam spot, is found as the problem to be improved in the related art.
As a solution against such a related art problem, each of following means, for instance, will be applied according to the present invention.
(1) A thermal-assisted magnetic storage device, comprising:
a magnetic recording media being comprised from transparent material;
a first marker of optically singular compared with materials therearound;
a magnetic head disposing on a magnetic head slider, being faced with the recording surface of said magnetic recording media;
a light-beam pickup disposing on other surface of said magnetic recording media, being at opposite side from said magnetic head, so as to emit light therefrom to the surface of said magnetic recording media, and thereby;
alignment between said light and said magnetic head is performed in accordance with detecting result of reflective light reflecting from said first marker.
(2) The thermal-assisted magnetic storage device as in (1), further comprising:
a second marker, by whom light assists rough movement to said first marker position, and disposing on said magnetic head slider side.
(3) The thermal-assisted magnetic storage device as in (2), wherein said second marker is arranged in the direction which becomes a standard where light moves, and so that said first marker is arranged straight in the extension.
(4) The thermal-assisted magnetic storage device as in (2), wherein said second marker is comprised from:
a first line part so that the first above-mentioned marker is arranged in one direction which becomes a moving standard in straight and the extension; and
a second line part being the plural in a direction orthogonal for above one side according to the interval with a predetermined order.
(5) The thermal-assisted magnetic storage device as in (4), wherein each of plural of said line parts are arranged at equal intervals.
(6) The thermal-assisted magnetic storage device as in (4), wherein the intervals between the plural of said second line parts are shortened gradually at fixed rate each other in accordance with distance to said first line part.
(7) The thermal-assisted magnetic storage device as in (4) through (6), wherein at least one of said first and second lines are comprised from dotted line.
(8) The thermal-assisted magnetic storage device as in (2), wherein the second marker of said first line part is as said first marker is arranged in one direction which becomes a moving standard in straight and the extension.
(9) The thermal-assisted magnetic storage device as in (8), wherein said first line part is comprised from a dotted line.
(10) The thermal-assisted magnetic storage device as in (4) through (7), wherein said second line part is comprised from zigzag with predetermined cycle which gradually increases or gradually decreases.
(11) The thermal-assisted magnetic storage device as in (10), wherein said cycle is continued from end to end of said second line part.
(12) The thermal-assisted magnetic storage device as in (9), wherein the length of the solid line part of dotted lines among said first line part spreads at a fixed rate in accordance with distance from said first marker.
(13) The thermal-assisted magnetic storage device as in (8) through (12), wherein the interval between said first line part spreads in accordance with distance from said first marker.
(14) The thermal-assisted magnetic storage device as in (1) through (13), wherein at least one of said first and second marker is comprised from at least one element selected from a group of Al (Aluminum), Ag (Silver), and Pt (Platinum), and thereby it has higher reflexibility compared with surroundings.
(15) The thermal-assisted magnetic storage device as in (1) through (13), wherein at least one of said first and second marker is comprised from a roughness on said magnetic head slider.
(16) The thermal-assisted magnetic storage device as in (15), wherein said first and second marker is comprised from a convex part formed heating it by high-energy line irradiation.
(17) A method for driving reading/writing head of a thermal-assisted magnetic storage device, comprising the steps of:
the position matches and has the marker who becomes aim. On the other hand, readout and the writing method of driving the head of the optical assistance magnetism record device to which the above-mentioned position match is induced with the marker for the rough movement installed so that the reflection of the above-mentioned light becomes peculiar when the light irradiated from an optical picking up is matched the position.
(18) The method for driving reading/writing head of a thermal-assisted magnetic storage device as in (17), wherein said rough guiding marker forms straight, and a marker as a target for said alignment is located in the extension.
(19) The method for driving reading/writing head of a thermal-assisted magnetic storage device as in (17), wherein said rough guiding marker is comprised from plural straight pattern, which comprises the rib portion where plural straight parts are composed in parallel in the extension the composition of plural straight markers the match and installing the marker who becomes aim, and going directly.
(20) The method for driving reading/writing head of a thermal-assisted magnetic storage device as in (19), further comprising the steps of:
a step of detecting said rib portion by scanning in the direction which first intersects with said rib portion, after light-beam irradiates to said magnetic head slider side; and a step of detecting said backbone portion by scanning in a parallel direction to said rib portion.
Namely, the present invention is intended to propose following means to solve aforementioned related art""s problem. According to the present invention, optically singular marker is formed adjacent to the magnetic sensor of the magnetic head for reading recorded data, and light-beam spot can be aligned to the marker without delay. In detail, the optical marker can be comprised from (a) thin film of optically singular reflection index, or (b) pattern of significant roughness. As an example of (a) above, thin metal film of higher reflection index compared with slider surface, e.g., Al (Aluminum), Pt (Platinum), Ag (Silver), can be employed. And also, as an example of (b) above, either an etched ditch though a method of e.g., FIB (Focused Ion Beam) or RIE (Reactive Ion Etching) or a laser bump through thermally melting by high power laser can be employed.
The light detecting element such as photo diodes is installed in the optical picking up set up at the position where the receiving light of the reflection light on the magnetic head slider side can be done, and the change in reflection light strength can be monitored by this light detecting element. Focus adjusting is performed by driving object lens based on this strength change. The position of an optical spot can be matched to the marker by reading the change in reflection light strength by the resolution of a submicron order by adopting the above-mentioned marker, and when recording, the heating of the record part in the medium becomes possible stably.
Effect of the Invention
A more certain, minuter, more magnetic record by the optical assistance method can be realized to a simple optical assistance magnetism record device which does not do the tracking based upon the technology though it composes so far by the cancellation""s of weakening and the output decrease in record information which becomes a problem becoming possible according to this invention. An enough reproduction output can be obtained, and the reproduction""s recording and operating become possible stably consequently the hard disk drive of super high recording density because the record part in the medium can be stably heated up when recording by using the present invention.